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ROLLING MILL Filed Oct. 28. 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 d INVENTOR.

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BY PM) Mm Mgg/wmv ATTU/PNEYS United States Patent ROLLING MILL Giuseppe Cozzo, Yonkers, N. Y., assigner to -I-Iydropress,

Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application October 28, 1954, Serial No. 465,320

6 Claims. (Cl. 80-32) This invention relates to an improvement in rolling Imill arrangements, such as are particularly useful in the manufacture of strip and foil. More particularly, it re- 'lates to the arrangement of a rolling mill so as to reduce to a minimum the time and labor required for the exchanging of full reels of material for empty reels.

In the rolling of material, such as foil or thin sheet material, the material is usually supplied to the rolling mill in the form of a reel. This reel consists of a spool or drum with a coil of material wrapped therearound. In a typical operation, a reel is placed on a spindle of the machine, the outer end of the material is threaded through the rollers of the mill, the mill operated and the material `thereby rolled by the mill wound onto an empty drum -that is rotated by a second spindle for the purpose of collecting the processed material. After the coil of material has been unwound from the drum on which it was supplied, the drum previously referred to as being empty will now have a full coil of foil or thin sheet material on it, and it will therefore be ready for removal from the machine. Upon this now-full drum being removed, the location of the now-emptied drum can be changed so that it can be substituted for the drum of material just removed.

Heretofore, the loading and unloading of the reels has often been carried out by means ofV cranes or the like which resulted in considerable delays and interference with other auxiliary mill operations. ln early arrange# ments, the drum emptied during a rolling operation had to be removed from the rolling mill by the crane and deposited in a proper place before the crane could pick up the next coil of material to be rolled and move it into position on the rolling mill. Furthermore, the positioning of a new reel in the spindle of Y a rolling mill was very diicult to carry out by means of a crane, since the axis of the reel must be alignedsubstantially with the axis of the spindle before engagement canbe effected. The delay resulting from the length oftime required to substitute the reels notonly reduced production but also was detrimental tothe quality of the material involved, particularly in the case ofthe rolling of the foil.,` Since it is necessary to maintain certain conditions of lubrication, temperature and other variables in order to obtain satis- `factory foil material of the proper thickness, it is there` 'fore mandatory that the intervals between individual rolling operations be reduced to a minimum. Otherwise, if the interval is large, the temperatures of the housings, rollers and other components will vary, whichV will affect adjustment of the parts and render the production of foil 'of accurate and uniform wall thickness extremely diicult.

More recent arrangements for the substitution of reels have reduced the interval between individual rolling operations, but the nlength of time involved in such arrangements still is, in someinstances, more `than is desirable. The presentlinvention*not'only reduces the interval still further, but also permits anarrangement that does not extend to any considerable degree beyond the boundaries of the rolling mill itself.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a rolling mill arrangement and method of operation thereof in which the exchanging of reels of material and empty drums on the spindles of the rolling mill will be greatly simplified and the time and labor involved reduced to a minimum.

Another object is to proivde a rolling mill arrangement requiring a minimum amount of floor area surrounding the mill for the equipment necessary in the exchanging of reels.

Still another object is to provide a more direct communication between the ends of a rolling mill whereby reels can be transferred from one end of the mill to the other in the minimum length of time.

A still further object is to provide a rolling mill having an elevator system associated with the winding and unwinding spindles whereby reels can be raised into alignment with the spindles of the mill or lowered therefrom without any manual elfort on the part of an operator being necessary.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description of preferred embodiments thereof, which is merely exemplary.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation of the rolling mill with the foundation thereof partly in section;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the rolling mill;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged View of a section taken along lines 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation taken of an unloading cart; and Y Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along lines 5--5 of Fig. 4.

Referring rst to Figure 1 of the drawings, the arrangement shown includes a rolling mill 1i), which is adapted to receive at the left-hand side thereof the material to be rolled. The material is threaded through working rolls 11 of the mill, and then collected on the right-hand side of the machine. Above and below the working rolls 11 are backing rolls 12.

Inasmuch as this invention particularly relates to a rolling mill arrangement wherein the material to be rolledris in the form of foil or thin sheet material, an operation will be described wherein the material to be rolled is of such a nature. However, it is to be understood that the material could take other forms without a departure from the spirit of this invention being involved.

The material to be rolled is supplied to the machine in the form of a coil 13 wound on a spool or drum 14, and a drum having a coil of material thereon will hereafter be referred to as a reel. The drums used in connection with the mill are preferably hollow and made of metal, although solid drums of metal or other suitable material may be used if the ends of the drums have been recessed. Recessed ends would be necessary for a reason soon to become apparent.V

On the left-hand side of the mill 10 is the unwinding spindle 15 which is composed of rotatable spindle members 16 and 17 employed to support the drum'14 in a suitable' position in which the coil of material can be unwound therefrom. The spindles 16 and 17 (Fig. 2) are of a generally conical shape in order to t into the ends of a drum 14 and to hold same against dislodgment when the material is being taken ott. Spindle member 16 may be movable axially in order to effect engagement or disengagement of the drum 14 with the spindle members 16 and 17, and handwheel 18 may be arranged to eifect such a motion of spindle 16. However, it is to be understood that both spindles could be axially movable if this be advantageous.

The spindle members 16 and 17 are rotatably mounted to permit them to rotate with drum 14 when material is being removed from the -drum 'to .be rolled by the mill, and the drums 14 are constructed with one or more vslots 19 in the ends thereof. These slots yare engageable with one or more keys 20 on the spindle member 17, thus insuring a synchronized rotation of the drum and spindle. For convenience, a spool of material located between spindle members 16 and 17 will henceforth be referred to as the unwinding reel.

In order to control the speed of lthe unwinding reel, a braking means 21 is provided, which is directly attached to the spindle 17, and which affords a direct control of the rotational speed of spindle and of the unwinding reel. The braking means can be either' a pair of friction brakes yas illustrated or .alternatively a dynarnometer type of brake or an electric generator.

On the right-hand side of the rolling mill as viewed in Fig. 2 is winding spindle 22, which is composed of generally conically shaped spindle members 23 and 24. The winding spindle is constructed to rotatably support an empty drum onto which the material that .has been rolled by the rolling mill is to be wound. As in the case of spindle member 16, the spindle member 23 can -be axially movable by handwheel 25 in order that Ya drum 14 can be engaged with or disengaged from the spindle members 23 and 24. One or more keys 26 on the spindle member 24 engage the slot or slots 19 in each drum and prevent the reel of material from slipping with respect to member 24. If desired, both of the spindle members can be made axially movable for the engagement ordisengagement of a reel.

The material leaving the working rolls 11 is wound around an empty drum 14 located between .the winding spindle members 23 and 24. The drum on these spindle members is driven at the proper speed with relation to the rolls 11 by means of a motor 27 that drives through gearbox 28 and turns the driving member 24.

The working rolls are each driven by a large motor 29, which is typically several times larger than motor 27. The driving system for the working rolls is preferably independent of both the winding and unwinding arrangements, and would typically employ a gearbox 30 to interconnect the motor and the driving rolls.

The rolling mill 10 is mounted with respect to its foundation so as to have a passageway or pit 31 underneath the mill extending from end to end. This passageway is of suflicient length as to extend below the unwinding spindles as well as the winding spindles, and it is because of this passageway that a drum can be transferred quickly from one end of the rolling mill to the other. As best seen in Fig. 2, the passageway does not extend the full width of the distance between the spindle members constituting the winding spindles or the unwinding spindles, for as shown in this ligure, the parts of the mill supporting the spindles rest on the sides of the passageway 31. Inasmuch as the rolling mill is supported only on the lsides of the passageway, it does not block same, nor does it in any manner interfere with the movement of drums through the passageway.

In recessed portions of the bottom of the passageway 31 are jacks (or elevators) 32 and 33, which are Vused for lifting or lowering a drum or reel from axial alignment with the spindles. They can be hydraulically operated, pneumatically operated, or operated electrically. Preferably, however, hydraulic jacks are used, which are electrically controlled by means of operating switches conveniently located for the attendant. The jacks 32 and 33 are mounted for cooperation with the unwinding spindles and winding spindles, respectively, and each is individually controlled. For instance, when all of the material of a reel has 'been passed through the working rolls and the drum upon which the `material had originally been placed is empty, the jack 32 may be raised so as to engage the empty drum to enable it to be removed from the unwinding spindles. The empty drum is then lowered by the jack into the passageway, moved to the other end of the mill, and lifted by jack 33 into a position in which it can be engaged by the winding spindle. The jack 33 would then be lowered out of the way during the operation of the mill, but if desired it can again be raised when the reel is complete so as to assist in the transference of a reel to a cart arranged to move a full reel to another location.

When the rolling mill has been operated so as to run the material on the unwinding reel through the working rolls, the now-full reel is ready to be removed from the winding spindle and moved to any desired location away from the mill. An empty drum is now required by the winding spindle, and it is obvious that the drum just emptied can be moved to the other end of the rolling mill and utilized to receive the next reel of material. To effect the transfer of an empty drum from the unwinding spindle through the passageway 31 to the winding spindle, a ,gravity system can be utilized, whereby the transference is brought about with a minimum of time and effort. In such an instance, an inclined ramp 34 is used, which extends from a point beneath the unwinding spindle 1S downwardly to a point beneath the winding spindle 22. By this arrangement, when the empty drum is lowered from the unwinding spindle by jack 32, the empty drum will be deposited on the upper end of the ramp so that it will roll to the other end of the mill, where it will be stopped in the correct position with respect to jack 33 by a leaf spring 35. From this position the drum can be raised into alignment with the winding spindle by jack 33. Of course, a non-gravity system of transferring the drums, such as a moving belt arrangement could be used if desired.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing, a supply rack 36 is there shown, upon which the reels of material to be rolled are stored. The rack is in the nature of two elevated rails 37 and 38, which are supported above the ground level by two or more legs 39, The reels of material are arranged on the supply rack with the ends of the drum 14 of each reel resting on the rails and thereby supporting the coil of material therebetween. The rails are spaced sufliciently far apart that the coils of material can be moved therebeween without interference.

The reels containing the material to be rolled in the mill are transported from rack 36 to the unwinding spindle 15 of the rolling mill by means of a loading cart 40. This cart has wheels 41 and preferably is constructed to run along a straight trackway 42 located on the ground level, but of course the cart could be constructed so as to have a different type of track system or to be independent of a track system. If a track is used, anged wheels would be employed on the cart. The track should extend beneath the supply rack 36 as well as underneath the unwinding spindle so that the cart will be in the correct position to load and unload a reel with a minimum of effort. A stop can be provided so that the cart will be stopped in its movement toward the rolling mill when the reel is in alignment with the unwinding spindle. Engagement of the spindle members with the reel can be easily effected by the use of handwheel 18.

In a similar manner, the reel of material that has been rolled by the mill and that has been collected on a drum at the winding spindle is transported away from the machine to a rack 43, which is similar to supply rack 36. An unloading cart 44 is used for this purpose and in the general manner described with respect to the loading operation, cart 44 can be used to transfer a full reel from the winding spindles to rack 43. The rack 43 could of course be utilized to store the rolled material until such time as it is to be further processed or shipped away.

u fat a ara-Mes either one or both of the spindle members of the winding and unwinding spindles can be made axially movable so as to engage or disengage a drum. The cart illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, however, is designed for use preferably in the particular instance in which only one of the winding spindle members is axially movable.

Cart 44 is principally composed of right and left side walls 45 and 46, respectively, which are pivotally connected as by pins 47 to member 48, this member forming the bottom of the cart. The side walls are interconnected by link 49 which not only causes the sidewalls to move relatedly when they are moved, but also prevents the walls from pivoting so far to one side as to fall away from a substantially vertical position.

Transverse members 45a and 46a are secured to the right and left walls of the cart, respectively, and these members in conjunction with the link 49 permit the side walls 45 and 46 to pivot only a comparatively few degrees about the pins 47. The side walls of the cart can therefore, in effect, be rocked from side to side, and the amount of such rocking motion controlled by an adjustment screw 50 located in each transverse member. Such a rocking motion of the cart is of assistance in unloading a reel from the winding spindle, and the jack 33 is not required for the operation. The cart preferably operates on a straight trackway 51 and in such instance is equipped with flanged Wheels 52. v

When a full reel is to be unloaded from the winding spindle 22, the cart 44 is brought underneath the reel in preparation for receiving it on side walls 4S and 46. The retractable spindle member 23 is then withdrawn from engagement with the drum thereby allowing that end of the drum to settle down upon one side wall of the cart. For example, if the retractable spindle is withdrawn from the right end of the drum illustrated in Fig. 4, that end of the drum will settle down upon the right Wall 45 of the cart. Both walls of the cart can then be swung toward the right from the position illustrated in Fig. 4, which will cause the adjustment screw 50 associated with the right wall of the cart to be raised from its contact with the bottom of the cart, and also cause the left hand adjustment screw to be lowered so as to rest firmly against the bottom of the cart. Such a motion has the result of withdrawing the drum of the reel from the driving spindle 24 and thereby causing the drum to be supported entirely by the cart 44. The channel beam 53 shown in dotted lines on each side of the cart is part of the stationary rack 43 and does not interfere in any way with the removal of a reel from the unwinding spindle.

As stated before, the unloading cart as described is preferably used in the instance in which only one spindle member is constructed so as to be retractable from a reel of material, for in the instance in which both spindle members are axially movable, a cart having a rocking motion would usually not be used.

If desired, the bottom member of each cart, such as the member 48 of the unloading cart, may be constructed with a comparatively large aperture therein, large enough to permit the passage of the top part of the respective jack therethrough. The jack 32 then may be used to assist the transfer of a reel from the loading cart to the unwinding spindle or the jack 33 used to assist the transfer of a reel from the winding spindle to the unloading cart.

A typical operation of this arrangement is as follows:

A reel of material to be rolled is placed near the end of the supply rack 36 so as to be in a position to be removed from the rack by the loading cart 40. The loading cart is then brought underneath the reel, and the reel is transferred to the cart. The cart is then moved toward the mill until the drum of the reel is in substantial alignment with the unwinding spindle 15, at which time the handwheel 18 is operated so as to engage the drum between the spindle members. As previously stated, the jack 32 can be used, if required, to align the drum with the spindle members. The cart can then be returned toward the storage rack so as not to interfere when the mill is placed in operation. The material- 13 of the reel is threaded through the rollers 54, 55 and 56 of the mill in the manner shown in Fig. 3, and then fed between the working rolls 11. From the working rolls material is passed over roller 57 and then wrapped around the empty drum 14 that is located on the winding spindle. The operation is commenced in a known manner, and the motors 27 and 29 operated continuously until the drum on the unwinding spindle is empty, and the material that had been wound thereon transferred to the drum that is on the winding spindle. This being done, both drums are then ready to be removed from their spindles in order to prepare for the rolling operation to be performed on the next reel. The full reel of rolled material on the winding spindle is to be removed from the vicinity of the rolling mill, but inasmuch as an empty drum is required in order to receive the contents of the next reel to be run through the rolling mill, the drum presently on the unwinding spindle is utilized.

In order to prepare for the next sequence, the jack 33 can be raised so as to support the full reel and thereby to simplify its removal from the winding spindle. As

. previously explained, however, the use of jack 33 for this purpose is optional. Upon being placed on unloading cart 44, the reel is then moved to rack 43 to be collected.

Jack 32 is next raised to support the empty drum 14, which is then disconnected from the unwinding spindle members 16 and 17. The jack is lowered and the empty drum deposited on inclined ramp 34 `soythat the drum will roll to the other side of. the mill and come to rest just above jack 33. The last mentioned jack can now be lifted so as to bring the drum into substantial alignment with the winding spindle members, which are moved so as to engage the drum in preparation for rotating it to wind thereon the material that has been rolled by the mill. The jack 33 can now be withdrawn, another reel of material to be rolled can be placed on the unwinding Spindle and fed through the rolling mill in the manner previously described, and the next operation then begun.

It will be understood that the new features herein disclosed and set forth in the appended claims may be employed in ways and forms different from those in the preferred embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings, without departing from the spirit of the invention except as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In a rolling mill strip material feed arrangement, the combination comprising a roll stand having an unwinding spindle on one end thereof and a winding spindle on the other end, each of said spindles being adapted to rotatably support a drum for holding coiled strip material, unwinding spindle elevator means for lowering an emptied drum away from the unwinding spindle, winding spindle elevator means for lifting a drum to said Winding spindle, and means extending under said roll stand for receiving an empty drum from the unwinding spindle and moving it to a position under said winding spindle, said Winding spindle elevator means being operable to move said empty drum into alignment with said winding spindle.

2. In a rolling mill strip material feed arrangement, a rolling mill having an unwinding spindle and a winding spindle on opposite ends thereof, rst and second elevator means beneath said unwinding and winding spindles, respectively, and associated therewith, and a sloping passageway extending from a location beneath said unwinding spindle downwardly to a location beneath said winding spindle, said first elevator means being operable to lower a drum from said unwinding spindle to said passageway, and said second elevator means being operable to raise the drum from the lower end of said passageway into alignment with said winding spindle.

3. In a rolling mill strip material feed arrangement, a rolling mill having an unwinding spindle and a winding spindle on opposite ends thereof, each of said spindles being adapted `to rotatably Supporta drum vfor holding `coiled strip material, iirst and second elevator means beneath said unwinding and winding spindles, respectively, and associated therewith, and a sloping passageway extending from `a location beneath said unwinding spindle downwardly to va location beneath said winding spindle, said `first elevator means lbeing operable to lower a drum from Ysaid unwinding'spindle to said'passageway, and said second elevator means being operable after the drum lhas rolled vto the lower end of said passageway to raise the drum into alignment with said winding spindle.

4. .In a rolling mill strip material 'feed arrangement, a rolling kmill having an Aunwinding spindle and a winding spindle on opposite ends thereof, each of said spindles being adapted to rotatably support a drum for holding coiled strip material, lirst and second elevator means beneath said unwinding and winding spindles, respectively, and associated therewith, and a sloping passageway 'extending from a location beneath said unwinding spindle downwardly to a location beneath said'winding spindle, each of .said elevator means being located in a recess opening into said passageway, said first elevator means being operable .to lower a drum from said lunwinding spindle to said passageway so that the drum can roll to the lower end of said passageway, and said second elevator means being operable 'to raise the drum 'from said lower end of the passageway into alignment 'with said winding spindle.

5. In a rolling mill strip material feed arrangement, a rolling mill having an unwinding spindle and a winding spindle on opposite ends thereof, each of said spindles being adapted to vrotatably support a drum capable of holding coiled strip material; loading and unloading carts associated `with 'said unwinding and winding spindles to carry drums of material to said unwinding spindle and from'said Winding spindle, respectively; and drum transfer means `extending under said rolling mill furnishing an -intercomrnunication between said unwinding spindle and said winding spindle.

6. `In a 'rolling mill strip material feed arrangement, a rolling mill having an unwinding spindle and a winding spindle on yopposite ends thereof, each of said spindles being adapted to rotatably support a drum capable of holding coiled strip material; loading and unloading carts associated with said yunwinding and winding spindles to carry drums of material to said unwinding spindle and from said winding spindle, respectively; a sloping passageway extending from a location beneath said unwinding spindle -downwardly to a location beneath said winding spindle; and first and second elevator means located beneath said unwinding spindle and said winding spindle, respectively, in a recess opening into said passageway, said y'first elevator means being arranged to transfer a drum from said vunwinding spindle down to said passageway, said second elevator means being arranged to transfer the drum from said passageway up into alignment with said windingspindle after the drum has rolled to the lower 'end Aof vsaid passageway.

References Cited in fthe tile of this patent UNITED lSTATES vPATENTS 

